Our “public” information tools are interfering with policy.
Category: Public Policy
Regulatory variation on the gaslighting theme.
Gaslighting has become one of the main staples of the current US Executive Administration. If you lie enough, people who begin to believe it start questions their own sanity
OCEANOISE 2026 – an odd side-meeting
I “laid an egg” (intentionally) by stating that 40% of the ships at sea are transporting fossil fuel, so the most direct way of accomplishing the stated goal would be to use less fossil fuel.
Field report from OCEANOISE 2026 – Day 1
One of the virtues of OCEANOISE is that while it includes many academics, it also includes people in ocean policy, marine conservation, and ocean industries. So a lot of work gets done – not just through the presentations, key notes, and poster sessions, but also through the long lunches and social events that orbit around the many discussions stimulated by the programming.
Earth Day 2026 Part 2
While taking this Earth Day to punctuate our appreciation for the our entire planet may seem a stingy expression of gratitude for Mother Earth that sustains all life, it is a great day to take a pause and honor those people who have dedicated their lives to honor Her – every day.
What’s next?
We have not yet seen how the current administration has synthesized any of the EIS comments we submitted this year, but given their proclivity to pushing the envelope to see what they can get away with, my suspicions are that they will ignore all public input and just see what we’ll do about it.
Regulatory disruption
It is not a surprise, but rather shocking how the current administration is eviscerating our national regulatory agencies, and doing it in what may appear to lay audiences as “sensible.”
National Academy of Science delivers a troubling report
…but the current administration has no plans on commissioning any new or replacement ocean research vessels. These vessels take years to build. So with this administration, it looks like the US has just forfeited our advance footing on marine science.
Rescinding the word “Harm” from the Endangered Species Act
By way of this semantic legerdemain they would open up the floodgates for extractive and construction industries to run roughshod over their operation areas without regulatory oversight or legal consequences.
Fan Dance of the Oilmen
The industry is in their element when prices are around $100/bbl. When it falls to $50/bbl. they close up shop. So having lease sales in a sinking market may not yield the promises of “Drill, Baby, Drill.”